Coroner: Salisbury burned body ID'd as Reading woman

The woman whose badly burned body was found dumped along a rural road in Salisbury Township last month was a 26-year-old Reading resident, according to the Lehigh County coroner's office.

Jennifer Velez-Negron was found at 9 a.m. Dec. 27 on Chestnut Hill Road, near the Unami Fish and Game Association. Coroner Scott Grim said her death was ruled a homicide, caused by suffocation and fire-related injuries.

Police were called to Chestnut Hill Road on a report of a body on fire and found the woman, who was known only as Jane Doe until Thursday.

The coroner's office released a description of the victim the day after she was discovered. She had a tattoo on the right side of her neck that read "JAVI," yellow metal hoop earrings and a bracelet with Puerto Rican flag bead.

That night, relatives came forward and provided DNA samples for comparison, Grim said. On Thursday, the coroner's office received a positive identification.

Reading police said they had no reports of Velez-Negron's disappearance.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Salisbury police at 610-797-1447 or the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force at 610-437-5252.